Business or Pleasure?
by BoboBoing
Summary: When Lucy became a receptionist, separating work and her personal life was easy. But then a certain client arrives who seems set on blurring the lines, and an attractive celebrity isn't making things any easier for her. GrayLu. NaLu.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

I am the receptionist.

That is all people will ever need to know about me. I answer phone calls, file papers, serve coffee, check people in. That is what I do. That is my Job.

This. This is Justine Enterprise. 115 floors. 2,000 office cubicles. 20 receptionists to wait on you hand and foot. One gigantic ballroom, and a doorman to shine your shoes just before you walk in. This, among other commodities.

I take it you think it's quite a nice place.

Well it is, if you were Freed Justine, the jackass who ran the whole place. Long green hair, murky blue eyes, and a silver tongue in a mouth like honey. But pretty much all that guy did with his mouth was tell people to bring men to his office so he could blow them off.

One gorgeous office building. One asshole boss. But now we travel downstairs, to the servants' quarters where the plebeians dwell…

"Cana, if I have to tell you one more time not to drink in the office, I swear I will screw your boyfriend," I threatened to the woman seated next to me.

The woman in question didn't so much as move or acknowledge me. Her brown hair was fanned out in waves all over her desk and she was nuzzling a bottle of vodka to her totally indecently exposed chest. Her head was smashed into the keyboard and I watched with growing annoyance as a little line of "L's" crept across the still-blank document on her desktop.

If she thought I was going to type up all this shit that Freed sent down by myself, I really was going to screw her boyfriend.

"Cana!"

I yanked her backwards by the shoulders and dumped both woman and chair onto the linoleum floor with a satisfying crack.

"Ow! Owowow! What the hell!" she slurred.

"You have 2 seconds to get rid of that vodka, and 3 seconds to start typing up that client list," I said tightly.

She blinked up at me blearily and proceeded to fall into a fit of laughter. "S-sorry, everything is just so much funnier when I'm drunk, Luushy!"

I felt my right eye twitch in annoyance.

Welcome to Floor 1, realm of the bottom feeders. 20 receptionists, but we should all probably consider becoming hookers because the pay sucks like one. That Freed jerk-off probably spends the missing portion of my salary to hire people to pick his teeth.

"So what's got you so upset today?" Cana giggled, repositioning herself into her chair and sweeping her long hair back into a neat bun, expertly sliding in a pen to hold it in place and running a finger under each eye to sharpen her makeup.

"It's this," I groaned, holding up the thick packet of hand-written notes, the bane of my existence. "Antennae-ears wants it typed up in, oh-" I checked my watch, "-forty-two minutes, and I can't read half of it."

"Damn. You better get a move on."

" _We_ ," I corrected. "Why don't you take the client schedule and I'll type up Freed's notes?"

"Sounds like a plan."

We worked diligently for 15 minutes. At 20, I could tell Cana was getting bored. The 25 minute mark was when things got out of control.

"Psst. Lucy. Lu-cy!" Cana hissed, jabbing a pen painfully into my shoulder.

I was in the middle of typing a list of Arabic business partners, and all those hyphens were getting really frustrating.

"Cana, you do realize that we only have fifteen minutes left until-"

"I know, I know, but Lucy, if you don't look now, I'm telling you: you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Okay, that got my attention. Cana's fortune-telling skills were freakily psychic at times. I hit "enter."

"Okay, now what is it?" I demanded.

"Look there!" she squealed, thrusting out her finger to point at the gentleman that had just walked in through the swinging glass doors.

I glanced up.

 _Woah_. I had this vague sense that I looked like a huge creep just checking this guy out as he crossed the foyer of Justine Enterprise, but to tell you the truth, you would have to have been a serious lesbian not to, and maybe not even then. He had a magnetic aura and this addictive confidence, like God himself had told him the meaning of life and had offered a complementary backstage tour. I couldn't look away. _Mavis help me._

Of course, as soon as that thought bloomed in my mind, I shut it down, because I was at work, for God's sake. And there was nothing I prided myself in more than my professionalism at work.

"By God," Cana said, blinking rapidly, "I- I think he's raping my eyes!"

"Shh, he's coming this way!" I whispered.

He strode over to our reception desk with an air of arrogance and entitlement, like a dark Jay Gatsby. He could have practically walked off the pages of a fairy tale.

"Hello. I've an appointment with Mr. Freed Justine at two o'clock," he said, a crooked smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It was so odd. Looking at his face up close, it was like the bottom half of his face didn't match with the top. His jaw was angled and masculine, but his eyes were boyish. Odd.

But attractive.

I kicked myself.

Cana recovered first, and filled the awkward silence by saying, "Yes, of course. And your name is?"

"Gray Fullbuster."

She hummed thoughtfully, and tapped away at the keyboard. I watched as she opened her web browser and began to type in his name.

On Facebook.

I threw a pen at her head in what I hoped was a discreet manner.

"Right, and your date of birth please? Just for conformation," I said quickly, taking up the responsibility that Cana obviously lacked. I opened up Freed's schedule on my computer and scrolled down to today.

He told me his date of birth in that same velvety, dark voice.

"Alright, Mr. Fullbuster. I'll just let Mr. Justine know that you're here and he should be down shortly."

"Excellent." He gave a curt nod and strode with that self-assured gait over to one of the sofas sitting in the foyer of the building, pulling out his phone to check what I assumed were other business inquiries. Cana chose this moment to come back from the red light district of her mind.

"This guy is such a Casanova," she giggled, "putting his real age on Facebook. I mean, who does this?!"

"Probably everybody but you," I grumped, getting back to that list of Arabic names. At this point, all of Cana's functioning motor skills apparently shut down because she set down the client list and placed her chin in her hands and sighed dreamily.

"I'd go for him, but he's too young for me. I'd go for _anyone_ who had that many pheromones leaking off of him, and was successful to boot. Wouldn't it be nice to marry a guy like that? You'd never have to work another day in your life."

"Uh-huh," I affirmed absently, not bothering to remind her that she already had a boyfriend. Now what did this word say? "Justice?" "Justine?" Or maybe it said "changed." Freed really needed to slow down when he wrote. Suddenly I noticed it was too quiet in our little reception area. My eyes darted over to Cana. She was staring at me imploringly.

"Well, go offer him a drink!" she exclaimed.

"What?! No! That's Evergreen's job."

"You and I both know she's going to poison him to paralysis with all that shit she whips up in the employee lounge. Besides, he keeps looking at you."

At that moment, I made the mistake of taking a peek upwards, and my eyes locked dead in on his. They were a steely, gunmetal blue but seemed darker because of the way his hair fell into them. I had the strange sensation that a silent battle was taking place, but he was keeping me guessing at exactly what. And what was that inviting quirk of his eyebrow? I felt a shiver run up my spine.

"Holy shit," I said, and abruptly scrunched my head down so I hid behind the computer screen. This guy's gorgeous looks were dangerously swaying me from the realm of professionalism into the realm of _Come Take Me!_. It was like watching a gory murder movie. I knew that later I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, but for the life of me, I couldn't tear my eyes away. It was too fascinatingly horrible.

I felt myself getting swept up in the moment, and just like that, I stopped myself. _This is just business to me_. And between the hours of 9 to 5, I was Lady Hardliner. I could make a copy of all business records, compile a list of Freed's appointments, answer and direct all phone calls, fax all financial documents, personally escort clients up to their destinations, and still have time to have a coffee break at noon.

This guy was roasted meat when it came to my efficiency at work. (But not my professionalism, as I was about to find out.)

I abruptly stood up, and began to march over to Gray Fullbuster, but Cana caught the sleeve of my suit.

"What are you doing?!" she whispered fiercely.

"Listening to your advice. I'm going to go offer that asshole a drink."

"But you never listen to my advice!"

"Then I suppose there's a first time for everything. Type up those papers while I'm gone. They're due in ten minutes."

Cana stared at me wonderingly. "I love it when you get bossy," she said wickedly. "It's so sexy. And I've got you covered, babe. I get can get this shit typed up in seven minutes flat, with some help from my little friend."

She dug around in her cleavage for a small flask of a clear, green liquid and downed it in one swig. After sitting still for a few seconds for the absinthe to set in, her eyes flashed open and she jabbed away at the keyboard so furiously that is sounded like the hum of raindrops on a sidewalk. I really should remind her not to drink in the office anymore or else I might lose my job.

I strode over to where Gray Fullbuster sat. His eyes stayed shamelessly trained on me as I approached him. I placed a hand on my hip and glared at him.

"Hey you. I'd offer to get you some water or coffee, but then again, I'm not a waitress. You don't try to catch my eye, and I don't come over and ask you if you want water or a soft drink. That's not how it works. Are we clear?"

He looked quite startled. I could tell from the way his eyebrows, set low on his forehead, suddenly shot up towards his hairline.

"Was I staring at you? Sorry about that," he said, seeming surprised. "People tend to tell me that I get so lost in thought, I forget where I'm looking. Jesus, that was probably really impolite. Please accept my sincerest apologies if I offended you, Miss."

Kill me now.

"R-right," I stammered after a pause, suddenly thrown off. "It's quite alright. Right."

 _Right._ The word echoed in my head as I mentally jumped off a cliff. I haltingly rotated ninety degrees and robotically walked back to the reception desk.

"Well?" Cana questioned gleefully.

"He said no, right after I wrestled my dignity to the ground and ripped off its appendages," I said, and sat squarely on my chair about to type when I realized that Cana had finished the last of the notes. 10 pages, I noted with approval. Cana was about to say something, but I cut her off with, "Freed will be down any minute now, so you can give him the papers once he's here."

As though on cue, the elevator opened with a _ding!_ and Freed Justine stepped out in all of his self-proclaimed glory. He was sporting a new navy blue suit, and even from a distance I could tell he'd had it custom-measured down the last micrometer. His long hair was pulled back into a low, business-like ponytail and I almost thought he didn't look like an asshole. It was amazing.

"Gray! We spoke on the phone. What a pleasure to meet you in real life. Why don't you come on up and we can talk business?"

"Freed, the pleasure is all mine. You're looking sharp in that suit. I myself just wear whatever my personal shopper says looks best."

They shared The Laugh of the Rich and Freed fell into step with Gray Fullbuster. Together, they chatted their way to the elevator, where they disappeared behind its closing doors. Immediately, Cana turned to me.

"Girl, you better get on your knees and pray to the heavens almighty that Gray is decidedly straight, because he is a _dish_ and Freed is rubbing his homosexual tendencies all over that boy. Damn!"

Thinking about Gray Fullbuster again just made me want to crawl into a hole and die.

"Cana, he's just another businessman here to talk business with Freed. We see dozens of them every day. What makes him so special?"

"I don't know, but my tarot cards tell me that he's very important. Very important indeed."

I rolled my eyes at her Madame Fortune talk, and instead picked up one of the standard black staplers sitting on my desk, and with a satisfying click, neatly secured all of the typed papers together. "Cana, because you were irresponsible and came to the office late today due to the fact that you got hung over yesterday, it is now your responsibility to bring these up to Freed."

Cana looked into my eyes searchingly, and I hoped she couldn't detect the blush of embarrassment that was probably still coloring my cheeks. For a moment I feared she might push the topic of what had happened to my dignity further, but she sighed and did as she was told without protest. Not, of course, before cheekily winking at me and saying, "I'll see what I can do for you!"

* * *

"Natsu? I don't think I can do this anymore," Lisanna said.

Natsu, however, was too busy yelling "Fight! Fight! Fight!" and egging on his drunk friends at the bar to notice his girlfriend's light voice.

"Natsu? _Natsu!_ " she yelled into his ear.

"Alright, alright. Jeez, keep it down. What's up?" he said, stepping away from the crowd.

"I don't think I can do this anymore," she repeated, eyes gentle but firm.

"'Kay. I'll see you back at the hotel."

"No, I mean, _this_ ," she emphasized, gesturing between them. "You're too wild, and…and crazy these days. Everything about you is too different from the kid I fell in love with all those years ago. Ever since this music gig started, all this partying – it's completely out of control."

"Wait, _what?_ " Natsu's face drained of color.

"I miss the Natsu that could be kind of shy and innocent. You're… not really that person anymore."

"Well, _yeah_. I've grown up. I'm becoming famous and actually making money, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. You just can't expect me to change back into somebody that I'm not anymore."

"I know! I know that. That's why I'm not asking you to change; I'm just asking you to let this go."

* * *

 **Apologies to those of you who ship Natsu and Lucy like it is life... but Lucy had to meet Gray first in order for this to pan out correctly :P**

 **And for those of you who dislike Natsu x Lisanna... here she is breaking his heart, I guess? (You evil, evil people. Those I guess that makes me evil too lol.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy crap. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I rewrote this chapter FOUR. TIMES.**

 **Omg. 4 times. I can't. My life = what is planning?**

 *** = Explained in footnote**

* * *

 _Cana looked into my eyes searchingly, and I hoped she couldn't detect the blush of embarrassment that was probably still coloring my cheeks. For a moment I feared she might push the topic of what had happened to my dignity further, but she sighed and did as she was told without protest. Not, of course, before cheekily winking at me and saying, "I'll see what I can do for you!"_

* * *

"So … how'd it go?" I asked with excessive nonchalance. Even I was making myself cringe at how _obvious_ I sounded.

"Whatever do you mean?" Cana said, blinking her doe eyes at me.

"You know, was Freed happy with the notes and all when you went up and delivered them to him? No problems whatsoever?"

"Mmm," Cana hummed noncommittally.

"Goddamnit, what were they doing in there, Cana?!" I yelled, my curiosity turning me into some kind of psychedelic case. "Were they talking about how Freed's stupid assistant went full retard and totally disrespected his client? Did he say he was going to fire me? Were they holding hands? Kissing? What were they talking about? What? What?"

Cana's shoulders shook with laughter as she slapped my back like she and I were sharing the same joke. Which we obviously weren't.

"Calm down, Lucy. You're acting like some kind of jealous girlfriend. Though Freed did break out the champagne, the good stuff. Must be a really important client, this Gray Fullbuster. He runs a huge-ass refrigeration company from what I heard."

I groaned and slid down in my seat until I was slumped on the ground in a pathetic heap.

For an hour, I was spared of having to face Gray. But that was like saying a condemned man would be spared of the gallows for an hour; it was inevitably going to happen. Gray Fullbuster was going to have to come down from Freed's office sooner or later. As I suspected, after 1 hour, the elevator dinged on the dot, and Gray stepped out…

Without his jacket?

Upon closer inspection, he was also missing the navy tie he'd walked in with, and his shirt was opened down to the third button.

"Freed got to him fast," said Cana, sounding impressed.

Strangely enough, Gray wasn't heading towards the glass doors through which he had entered. No, he was heading straight for me – us. I felt my chest tighten, whether from embarrassment or terror, I wasn't sure. Before I knew it, he was standing before us and for some annoying reason, I felt a blush rise up to my cheeks. Gray probably noticed because his face lost its serious expression as he leaned in with a rueful look in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. "I hope you're not still thinking about what happened earlier because, well, I do believe we were both at fault for that awkwardness," he said.

"Of course not. I just wanted to apologize for that incident. I'm usually not so… unprofessional. It's just that with you, for some reason I…" _I found you unbelievably attractive and so I freaked out like a schoolgirl and pep-talked myself into becoming an asshole for the sake of "professionalism"?_

Ugh, even I wanted to facepalm at how _bad_ that sounded.

"What happened to your clothes?" Cana asked suddenly, point-blank. _Cana!_

Gray was waiting for me to finish my sentence, but now glanced downwards and his face suddenly exploded into a million shades red. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he quickly buttoned up his shirt so that the carved curves of his collarbones were hidden away again.

"Sorry," he muttered, "bad habit."

"Not the worst one to have," I said, to which he didn't respond, giving me a quizzical look instead.

"Anyway, what can we do for you?" Cana asked. As if she had flicked some sort of switch, the teasing and smiles instantly left his face and he was all business and composure once again.

"Appointment with Freed. Same time next week," he said shortly.

After a few clicks and keystrokes, I said, "You're all set."

As he turned to leave, the humor briefly returned to his eyes and he called out, "Good day, Cana. Lucy."

The reception area was quiet for a few moments as I tried to figure out what about that encounter had been so strange. Just as it dawned on me, Cana beat me to it.

"Why'd he make that appointment in person?" she said. "You think his secretary's out of town?"

"Maybe it was just more convenient," I mused. Cana shot me a _seriously?_ look.

"Lucy, men like him don't pay a person 35k a year so they can make appointments in person. He probably wanted our names. Your name."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, Cana. Of course."

As the day drew to a close, Cana left 15 minutes before I did because it was my day to neaten up the office. I'd just hefted my purse over my shoulder when the desk phone began to ring. The little orange light flashed by the words "Freed Justine" so I knew I should probably take the call if I wanted to keep my job.

"Yes sir, how may I help you?"

" _Ah, Lucy, just the person I was looking for. Would you mind terribly coming up to my office? It's rather urgent, although I'd hate to bother you if you were already planning on leaving."_

I knew the twisted mind games he was playing at. I'd seen no less than 5 other receptionists get fired on the spot after hearing those exact same words.

"Of course, sir. I'll be right up."

I tapped my foot nervously as I watched the elevator numbers climb higher and higher. When I finally reached his office floor, I took one deep breath to keep my composure, and walked out of the elevator and into his office.

He was sitting stiffly on the edge of his cushy leather seat, fingers steepled over the dark, cherry wood of his desk. It was void of any personal touch. No picture frames. No spent coffee cup. Nothing. Only papers and manila envelopes in neat little stacks.

"Lucy, I'd really like to get out of here as much as you would, so I'll make this brief," he started as soon as I'd crossed the threshold of his office door, not bothering to invite me to sit down. "The very basic nature of it is that I'll be hosting a business party this weekend in the company's ballroom, and I need you to help Mira oversee it. You're admittedly lacking seniority, but I'm looking for something fresh so I'll trust your opinion. Keep it classy, but not too modern. Traditional values and all that."

"So, like, a gala?"

"And _that_ is the intuition that has made you the 2-time winner of the Most Valuable Employee Award. We see eye to eye, you and I."

"Of course, sir."

Quite abruptly, he turned his head back down to the documents on his desk. I took that as my cue to leave. I pondered this gala the entire way home on the subway. I would need to get in touch with Mirajane, my slightly kooky supervisor. She was like a really young grandmother, with her long white hair and 24/7 smiles and happiness. Except for "that one time", the file of which I had permanently deleted from my memory so that I could sleep at night.

Finally, I arrived home to my apartment, where I cursed loudly at the stuck door knob and ended up kicking the door in. I stepped inside, and walked straight into a wall. So it wasn't a wall technically, it was my roommate Laxus, but you'd be kidding yourself if you thought they were very different. Silent, unmoving, expressionless. Silent.

"H-hey Laxus," I said with an awkward laugh, "Why were you standing right behind the door like that? Someone could hurt themselves if-"

"You're home late," he cut in, arms crossed across his broad chest.

"Yeah, I, uh, had a little meeting with my boss about a party for work this weekend."

"Freed."

"Yes."

"Hmm."

"…What?"

"Nothin'."

We stood there having this excruciatingly awkward conversation right in the doorway. After a pause that was way too long for comfort, he finally moved aside and I was granted access. _Even though this is my apartment too!_

I flung off my heels, threw my purse onto the countertop, and changed into something more comfortable. But just as I was putting on an apron to start on dinner, Laxus, who had been quietly watching me from the breakfast counter, said, "I already made dinner 'cause you were home late."

"Huh?" Laxus hardly ever cooked.

"It's in the fridge." And sure enough, it was. A carefully arranged plate of grilled salmon and pasta. I felt my face beaming as I popped the fruits of Laxus' efforts into the microwave. Our relationship was finally warming up!

"Great!" I said, "So once I heat up your plate, we can actually-"

"I already ate." And with that, he left the room. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to strangle him or appreciate the kind gesture.

Rooming with Laxus is like cutting your own hair: it's scary, it requires effort, it doesn't always look the best, and yet you continue on with the hope that it will look better the next day. Maybe it was because he was an electrician, but he didn't talk much and tended to cut off a lot of what I was saying with the few words he did say. But Laxus never did anything overtly obnoxious so everything worked out okay in the end.

I took a bite of the pasta. It was unexpectedly flavorful and savory. Even more unexpected was the fact that he had deboned the fish for me. _Laxus is just full of surprises, isn't he?_

* * *

"A _little_ more to the left. Wait! Now a _hair_ to the right – No! Too far! Right… there… Perfect!"

The two moving men dropped the gigantic ice sculpture with a sigh.

Great. Now it was too far to the left again, but I'd been bothering these moving men for 20 minutes, so I accepted defeat. I had been stressing about the gala every single waking minute since Freed had assigned it to me, but as a result, now that it was actually here, everything was running smoothly and all I was really doing at this point was putting on finishing touches and shamelessly micromanaging.

If you haven't already realized, everything about Justine Enterprise has to be bigger and better. Not 2 receptionists, but 20. Not 10 tables, but 50. So when I say this supposedly casual business party was like no other business party you've ever seen, it's no joke. The sconces and chandeliers, the warmly lit the room, the air sweetened with the scent of honeysuckle and orchid bouquets, the sound of a small chamber orchestra tucked away into a corner. The circular tables were covered in burgundy velvet and even the silverware wasn't silverware, but plated a classy gold.

The irony of it all was that I, who had arranged most of this, was dressed like a poor man with my rosy pink dress and its modest cut. The dress had gained an "It's good" from Laxus, but standing in this shimmering room had me feeling small.

"Lucy! My little busy bee. How are the decorations going?" It was Mirajane. For someone I had called a grandmother, she looked like one sexy grandmother. Her dress was merely a darker shade of pink than mine, and yet the daring cut and sequins made it look so much classier on her. I was envious.

"Just putting on the finishing touches," I said.

"No doubt. You're such a hard worker, Lucy," she said with a sunny smile. "Tell you what, now that your job is basically complete, I just want you to go around and socialize with anyone who looks lonely, okay? Not a frown in the room!"

" _Not a frown in the room!"_ I didn't realize when Mirajane said this that _I_ would be the one with the hardest time trying not to frown. The entire time I spent socializing, I felt patronized, like people didn't consider me fit to be part of their company simply because I was a receptionist. I mean, I knew my salary wasn't even a quarter of what they made, but there was still a reason why Freed had invited me to be here and organize this event.

To top it all off, I was currently having a Kill Me Now moment. The man I had approached was actually talking to me without being arrogant, but he was obviously drunk and kept flinging his arm over my shoulder like we actually knew each other. And then he'd scratch his head, causing dandruff to snow on both his shoulders and mine, and it'd occasionally get into his flute of white wine, which he'd drink anyway because he was too drunk to notice… I wanted to throw up and cry at the same time.

God must have been watching over me because just then I felt someone tap my shoulder.

"Lucy, could I have a word with you?"

I think it happened. I think I actually cried from relief. I turned to the drunk latched to my shoulder. "Sorry, I have to go. Nice talking to you though," I said hurriedly, and all but shoved him off of me.

I turned to my savior and sighed, "Thank you. You have no idea what you just pulled me out of."

"It's my pleasure," said Gray with a laugh.

"Gray?!"

"Shh," he said, pressing a cool hand to my lips.

"Sorry. I just wasn't expecting to see you here," I said in more normal tones. "Rescuing me aside, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Nothing, really. You just looked like you were in a pinch, so I dipped in to save you. I'm surprised you remember me."

"As am I."

"Well, you do have an unforgettable face."

Was Gray flirting with me? It was kind of hard to tell from the context because this event was basically a business party on crack. Where exactly did the "business" end and the "party" begin?

"How are you enjoying the party?" I asked.

"It's great. I especially love the classy atmosphere that all of the décor creates. The decorations are phenomenal. Think you could get me in touch with the person who did it?"

"You're – well, you're looking at her."

"Really? You're not kidding? You did all of this?" _You don't have to sound so surprised_. But I didn't care anymore after he grinned and said, "You're amazing. I'm thoroughly impressed."

"So why are you here?" I changed the subject before things got too personal. Similarly to what happened before, it was like I'd flipped a switch and his expression became one of seriousness.

"You might as well know now anyway, since you won't be working under Justine Enterprise for very much longer. Instead, you'll be working under Justine & Fullbuster."

"What do you mean?"

"Your boss and I have decided to merge my refrigeration company with his archeological company."

"A vertical merger?" *****

"You're quick for a receptionist. Yes, a vertical merger – why are you making that face?"

I hadn't realized it, but my brow was furrowed in thought. The information that I was about to tell him… should I? It wasn't some dirty company secret, but I wasn't sure if Freed had already told Gray.

"Freed's told you where he's excavating, right?" I checked to make sure.

"…Yes," he said after a pause.

"I just thought it was strange because there's not much profit to be made from this merger. The only time refrigeration is really needed is when specimens are brought back from digs in colder places, and Freed's guys are currently excavating venues in Chile and Egypt – hotter climates, essentially."

"So why would he need an entire refrigeration company?" Gray voiced the obvious question.

"Maybe he's planning ahead for his next excavation site. Or maybe-" I stopped myself.

"What?"

I shouldn't. But he was looking at me so imploringly I couldn't help it.

"Maybe he'll chop up your company into pieces," I laughed feebly to mask the gravity of what I was saying, "and then put the parts he doesn't need on the auction block and sell to the highest bidder."

Gray's eyes widened considerably, and he suddenly looked very pale. In a heartbeat, he had his arms around me and was crushing me to him. Stunned, the only things I could register were how nice his cool cheek felt against my neck and the faint scent of sweet cedar that came from his nearness.

"Thank you, Lucy. Truly. You're a tactical genius. I- I need to find Freed," he whispered excitedly, and just like that, he released me and vanished into the crowd.

I couldn't hear anything over the sound of blood roaring in my ears and my heart pounding in my chest. For some reason I couldn't force myself to move.

 _What just happened?! We were talking business, and all of a sudden he hugs me out of nowhere! Agh, and why did it have to feel so nice? More importantly, why is he going to find Freed? Shit, did I say too much? Shit shit shit shit. Nice going, Lucy. You just can't be professional around that guy for the life of you._

Slapping myself a couple of times on the cheeks, I decided I needed to step outside for some fresh air. When I did, I couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the sky. The moon was so high and bright it cast shadows, and the chilly air was a pleasant reprieve from the party inside.

It was then that I saw him, a lone figure amidst the empty street. His clothing reminded me of those singers I sometimes saw performing on the VMAs, with its recurring theme of black, gold, and white. He was leaning against the concrete pole on the corner of the street, smoking a cigarette and looking up at the stars. Even though the pedestrian crossing sign was lit, he made no sign of moving, apparently lost in thought. With the muted sounds of music and laughter drifting out from behind me, he looked so… lonely.

I felt a twinge in my heart. He was dressed kind of casually to be one of Freed's business partners, but it was my job after all to be socializing with lonely people, right? That was actually terrible reasoning, but my emotions were getting in the way. I didn't want anyone looking at the stars with such sad eyes. Besides, I was curious about his hair, which was the same rosy pink color as my dress. I took a few hesitant steps in his direction.

"Lucy! There you are. I was looking all over the place for you." It was Gray. Aside from the tight smile on his lips, there was no other sign of his previous panic. "While I was gone, I was walking around the room and I have to say it again, you really did a great job with the setup of this party. It's amazing."

I turned to him and smiled as modestly as I could.

"So I was thinking: do you think you could do my greenhouse as well? It could use a touch of the class that you brought to the party tonight."

I didn't even have to think about it before answering. "Definitely."

* * *

 *** Vertical merger: "** **A vertical merger is a** **merger** **between two companies that operate at separate stages of the production process for a specific finished product." –**

 **This is probably best explained through an example: French fries. A fast food chain that joins together with a potato company can produce cheaper French fries. Why? Because the fast food chain probably gets a** **special, cheap price on the potatoes** **and the potato company is probably** **guaranteed that their potatoes are going to be bought ****(guaranteed to make money, basically.) Everybody wins, and the finished product, the French fries, is cheaper which is always a plus.**

 **In this case, Justine Enterprise is the fast food chain, and Gray's refrigeration company is the potato company. Freed gets refrigeration services at a good deal, and Gray is guaranteed business. Everybody wins (theoretically, anyway.) Yeah, the business aspect is kind of heavy in this chapter, but I hope you were ready for it when you read the title! If you still don't get it, that's okay! All you need to know is that Gray is probably royally screwed if he goes through with this deal with Freed.**

* * *

 **Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews everyone! They mean a lot to me.**

 **This chapter was extra-long, I know Let me know if you guys would prefer that I break up future chapters into smaller chapters, or if one long super-chapter is fine.**

 **ImageDragons:** Thanks for reviewing! My obsession with grammar is kind of becoming a problem haha. As for whether this fic is GrayLu or NaLu, I can't say for certain myself, but I hope you stick around to find out ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the long wait on the update! My writer's block was made of titanium recently. (And my word processor stopped working. Sigh. So apologies in advance for typos.)**

* * *

" _So I was thinking: do you think you could do my greenhouse as well? It could use a touch of the class that you brought to the party tonight."_

 _I didn't even have to think about it before answering. "Definitely."_

* * *

I stared at the untouched glass of water sitting in front of me and seriously started to doubt why I was currently at Gray's house at all. It was more of a mansion really, a creation of glass and steel, several stories high, angular on all fronts and brightly lit with natural sunlight. It was a Thursday afternoon. Gray and I were meeting in his reception room during my lunch break to discuss the greenhouse remodeling I had blindly agreed to last week.

"Are you sure this is alright, Mr. Fullbuster?" I asked, tapping my fingers together nervously while I eyed the modern furnishings in the room. Everything was streamlined and monochromatic, occasionally broken by the green of a potted plant.

"It's fine," said Gray dismissively. "My house, your office; it's all the same to me. Besides, I have business meetings here all the time, so it's not some novelty." I didn't actually have an office but I wasn't about to correct him. I was starting to notice this about Gray, but he was never really bothered by anything. Always laid back, composed, and easygoing.

He was a pretty nice guy, beneath the self-confident air he put off.

"You told me you wanted your greenhouse redecorated," I said, bringing the conversation back to the subject at hand. "Perhaps you could elaborate?"

"I suppose I wasn't being very specific back at the party. The underlying problem isn't so much with the decorations as it is with the flowers. They refuse to bloom, no matter what I do. More water, more fertilizer, pollination by hand… none of them work."

"Sounds like you need a scientist to fix this."

"I've sent a sample to a nursery. They said the soil's fine, the acidity is fine, everything's fine, everything checks out. So I've given up on science, and now I'm willing to try anything to at least make it _look_ nice."

I pretended to ponder his statement but it was mostly to entertain him because I didn't know jack about gardening after all. I'd need more info.

"Mind if we take a look outside?" I asked, gesturing to his expansive backyard. The afternoon sunlight felt nice after the sub-zero temperatures inside Gray's house and I shrugged off my blazer and left it with his housekeeper.

He held the glass greenhouse door open for me, and when I stepped inside, it was like being transported. Rows upon rows of luscious greenery, all tended for like a geometric empire. The concrete pathways were neatly kept and swept clean. It smelled fresh and earthy and primal. Oh, and it was freezing. The abrupt change in temperature sent goosebumps rising up my arms.

"It's _cold_ ," I said, confused. Since when were greenhouses cold?

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you about that. Here."

He slipped off his jacket and cautiously placed it around my shoulders. It wasn't all that warm and it was way too big but it felt nice and I felt my mouth turn up into a smile nonetheless. "That wasn't exactly what I meant, but thank you."

"Erm, you can keep the tie," I said, as I eyed him loosen it absently.

"So why's it so cold in here? I thought this was a greenhouse," I said.

"It's a long story," he said.

"I've got time." (I actually didn't, and had to be back before my lunch break ended, but if I was choosing between work and "work"...)

"The greenhouse belonged to my mother before me. She adored winter and snow and all things cold, so she built all of this," he gestured at everything, "where it could always be kind of like winter. It's the complete opposite of what you'd call a greenhouse, and it's totally weird, but Ur was one-of-a-kind like that." He smiled fondly. "She'd walk around here dressed like it was the freaking beach. The woman was damn crazy, but she was amazing."

There was nostalgia in his voice. "Did something happen?" I asked.

"She's gone." His voice shifted, and I decided not to press the subject.

It was quiet for a moment before I broke the silence with, "So which of these plants are the flowers that aren't blooming?"

"All of them," he laughed sheepishly.

" _All_ of them are flowers? And you couldn't get a single one to bloom?" I said incredulously.

"Gray's an idiot like that," a new voice interjected. A young man had slipped in unnoticed beneath the noise of our conversation. He had beady black eyes and spiky white hair that could rival Mirajane's in color. He crossed his arms and stared at us contemptuously.

"Lyon?! The hell are you doing here? I'm having a business meeting," Gray growled at the newcomer. I flinched at his sudden irritation.

"Doesn't look like it. Since when do you take clients to your house? And telling her Ur's story? You don't even have the right. What happened to her was your fault after all," he scoffed. "Besides, Ur left this greenhouse in my hands as well, and it doesn't look like you're taking care of your half very well."

Before Gray could voice whatever rude thought I saw burning in his eyes, Lyon plowed right on. "Anyway, I'm not here to pick a fight. Your housekeeper's got someone on hold on the phone, and told me to tell you it was important."

"I'm not finished with you," Gray said, pointing a finger at Lyon before stalking out. Lyon let out an amused snort, before turning to me. He stared silently, and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Your jacket's too big for you," he commented at last.

"Huh?" I'd forgotten I'd been wearing it all. "Oh, it's not mine."

"It probably is now." Before I could ask him what he meant by that, he extended a hand.

"Pardon the intrusion. Lyon Vastia. Gray's brother."

"Your hair colors are different." I wanted to stab myself right after I said that. _What if the guy is just going gray early? Don't be so insensitive, Lucy!_

"Half-brothers," he amended. "Though most people notice the last name first."

 _Oh no. I've upset him, haven't I?_ Fortunately, I could always become a kindergarten teacher because I could obviously tell colors apart.

"And you are?" he questioned, interrupting my thoughts.

"Lucy Heartfilia. I'm the one redoing his, well, your guys' greenhouse. Though what I'm 'redoing' exactly is a good question."

"Miss Heartfilia, I understand. You have come to solve the unsolvable puzzle: will Juvia return my love or will she be trapped in Gray's icy clutches?"

"What." I furrowed my brow at the abrupt change in direction the conversation had taken.

But Lyon was too far gone to slow down now. "Her silky blue hair, soft like the drizzle of rain on your skin. And her eyes, so emotive and shining like she's forever on the brink of tears. Shed them, my love! The tears of a damsel; nothing purer exists on this earth. There is only Juvia!"

I'd landed in a looney bin. There was no other explanation. Fortunately, I was saved from having to come up with a decent response because Gray returned at that moment and "politely ushered" Lyon out.

"Mr. Fullbuster, your brother, he's… something."

"Thanks for being polite," he coughed.

"Who's Juvia?"

"Uh, no one important. Anyway, something came up that I have to take care of, so I'll have to excuse myself. However, you're welcome to stay and examine some more."

"It's alright, my lunch break ends at twelve so I have to take off soon too."

"That's in ten minutes. Will you make it?"

"Yeah." I wouldn't. Not even close. But that wasn't his problem.

"That's great. So this Saturday is good for you? I'm having people over on Sunday so I just need there to be something to show them. Maybe find flowers to put on display? I'll understand if you cheat and bring some in that are already in bloom." He winked and began to leave.

"Mr. Fullbuster, your jacket?" I began to shrug it off, but he held up a hand.

"Keep it until Saturday. It might, uh, rain on the way home."

"Um, thanks. I'll see you Saturday then."

* * *

"He doesn't want the jacket back," Mirajane stated after I returned to the office and explained why I was late and had both a blazer and jacket on a warm spring day. "Also, you two will have very cute children."

"That's what I said!" Cana exclaimed, "only not the second part. I personally think Lucy and I would have cuter children but I digress."

"But he literally said 'keep it til Saturday,'" I protested.

"Lucy, you're so naive, it's adorable," Mirajane giggled. "I'm sure he fell even harder for you when you actually bought his excuse of an excuse."

"What does it smell like?" she continued, indicating the charcoal gray jacket on the reception desk. "What does _he_ smell like?" she added mischievously.

Cana didn't even wait for my reply and grabbed the jacket and put her nose to it, inhaling deeply. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! It's that one thing that grows in the forest. Super minty, super au naturale, kinda like an herbal cocktail…"

"Cedar," I said helpfully.

"Aha! So you have sniffed it!" Mirajane cooed.

"I did not!" But it wasn't like I was going to tell them that I'd found out by hugging him.

Cana sighed. "You're in denial."

* * *

Saturday came all too soon, and I was still stumped. Sure I could purchase a few pedestals, put flowers on them, and place them about, but with the amount of money Gray was paying me to do this, it just wasn't right.

"Hey brat, you decided what you want us to do yet? I know this isn't on your dime, but don't waste my time," growled one of the gardeners I had called to help out. Her name was Aquarius. She actually used to be contracted to do my parents' gardens, not mine, so she hated it when I called her out for favors, like I was now.

"Err…"

"Hurry up! Before I dump this pot of water on your head!" she barked, holding up a watering can threateningly.

"Eee!" I backed away to a safe distance against a potted plant when I felt it give behind me. I felt like I was seeing things frame-by-frame as it tipped off the table and plummeted downwards, but it was caught just inches above the ground by a pair of calloused hands.

"Mr. Vastia!"

"Indeed, I have returned. And so did you, I'm happy to see."

"Do you know where Mr. Fullbuster is? I tried asking his housekeeper but she said she couldn't tell me."

"He's working," Lyon said vaguely with a wave of the hand.

"On a Saturday?"

"Every day except Sunday. Work waits for no one, as you know."

"Hey, are you Fullbuster?" Aquarius marched over to where we were. "Why's it so damn cold in here? It's a greenhouse for God's sake. None of the flowers are gonna bloom like this."

I whipped around to face her. "Say that again?"

"Are you hard of hearing, little girl? Or are your ears as slow as that brain of yours? Take a look around. Periwinkles, hydrangeas- all of them need plenty of sunshine and warmth. How do you expect them to bloom in this icebox of a greenhouse?"

"It's true," Lyon joined in. "Like Juvia, all of these plants are actually beautiful flowers beneath their humble, green exteriors. Yet despite it being well into spring, not a flower is in sight, not a splash of color has bloomed to give the eyes reprieve from this vast sea of green," he said dramatically. "The cold prevents them from blooming. It's quite sad."

"Why not turn up the thermostat then?!" Aquarius ground out, tapping her gold forehead chain with impatience.

"We have. The highest that the thermostat will go is 50 degrees Fahrenheit," said Lyon proudly.

Aquarius' eyes were livid. "You crazy motherf-"

"Anyway," Lyon continued on without missing a beat, "fix the greenhouse, don't fix it. It doesn't really matter to me. I quite enjoy watching my brother struggle on fruitlessly to try and match my own gardening prowess!" He jabbed his finger triumphantly at a pot labeled "Lyon". We stared in curiosity at the pathetic wilted periwinkle inside. With a hearty laugh, he made his exit.

As Aquarius followed him to the door to yell at him some more, I got to thinking about what she had said about the cold climate. So far, I had quickly drawn up 3 solutions:

1\. _Install a new thermostat and heater._ Cons? I'd probably be trampling on the memory of Gray's mother.

2\. _Install heating lamps_. Cons? No cross beams to attach lamps from.

3\. _Something very crazy and very expensive_. Cons? Gray was going to come for my ass if it didn't work out.

4\. _Blame my landlady_. Cons? Not a solution (for this problem, anyway.)

It was obvious which one I should choose.

"Aquarius, get my landlady on the line."

"Huh?!"

"W-what I meant was, I want you to get everyone's attention."

Soon enough, every gardener and landscaper I had called was gathered around. I cleared my throat.

"Everyone, listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once. The battle plan is this: we're going to completely clear out the greenhouse, taking all the flowers in here and placing them outside in rows. Then, we'll bring in pedestals and place them in the following areas." I pointed them out. "Now Aquarius, my phone."

She chucked it at me, narrowly missing my head.

I tapped on the app _Crux_ , and typed "blue flowers cold climate" into its search bar. The little Southern Cross mascot nodded off for a few seconds, then a list popped up as well as images, and I had my answer. I turned back to the small crowd.

"Then we'll contact every nursery and storage house we can think of and have them bring in about a hundred of each of these flowers." I read off the list from the app. "Everyone got it? Move out the old ones, then move the new ones in. Any purchases are to be directed to Mr. Fullbuster's account. Now go! The deadline to finish is tonight."

With their instructions delegated, the crew scattered like flies. I joined into the fray and helped with sweeping up any dirt left behind and washing away water stains left on the concrete. It was intensive work for all of us, but the freezing temperatures made it more bearable. After 4 hours, the trucks finally arrived and we began unloading the flowers, well-cared for and almost in full bloom. My only hope was that they would still look this way after spending a week in this twisted greenhouse. Row by row, we moved them in: hyacinths, Siberian irises, delphiniums, and Blue Pearl crocuses. Together, they created a soft gradient of blues ranging from lapis lazuli to aquamarine.

The sky was a burnt orange by the time the final flower pot was moved into place. As soon as that happened, everyone wiped sweat from their brows and tears from their eyes because after 3 broken fingers and 1 fainting incident, we were finally done. Someone started applauding and soon everyone joined in.

"Now go home!" I yelled, "and enjoy your Saturday evening with Mr. Fullbuster's generosity!"

They filed outside and soon I was alone. The greenhouse really looked like something else now that it was full of flowers, like an artist had finally decided to shade in the empty spaces between the lines with a rainbow of blues. I closed my eyes and inhaled the intoxicating fragrance. The setting really was-

"Beautiful," Gray finished my thought. I jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. He was wearing a navy suit on his shoulders, a white tie around his neck, and a smile on his lips. It looked like he'd just gotten off work.

"Mr. Fullbuster? How long have you been standing there?" I asked.

"Well… Let's just say I'm glad you think I'm generous."

"When I said that, I didn't mean it like-"

"I know. I'm just teasing you."

We stood in silence, taking in the meadow that had spontaneously bloomed amidst this artificial winter.

"I thought I wouldn't have to tell you this, considering you called me 'Gray' before, but you don't have to call me 'Mr. Fullbuster,'" he said.

"I've called you 'Gray' before?" I mean, I did it all the time in my head, but I was pretty vigilant when I was talking to him.

"Once. During the party. But then you stopped after that."

"I… don't remember. But you'd prefer 'Gray' then? Makes it easier on me for sure."

"I figured," he chuckled.

We turned our eyes back to the flowers. A moment later, he said, "You really took what I said about cheating and bringing in flowers to heart, huh? Unless… wait a second… you didn't get all of Ur's flowers to somehow bloom, did you?"

He was looking at me with such excitement and wonder, and I so badly wished I could say yes.

"No, the original ones were brought outside. These are all new." His face fell, and I felt like a thin wire was cutting into my heart. I had to say something.

"But! Now that the original flowers were brought outside, they'll have all the sunlight and warmth they need and they'll bloom too. The cold weather was the culprit, not the soil or the water or anything."

"They always bloomed when Ur was taking care of them though, despite the cold… Guess I can't measure up to her, even after she's gone. Thank you, for not throwing her memory away."

"My mother's not around any longer either, so I understand wanting to keep what's left intact."

"How did you know I liked blue flowers?" he asked. Then, more hopefully, "Or are these personal favorites of yours?"

"Periwinkles? Hydrangeas? I could take a guess. Oh, and rainbow sakuras are my favorite, but Blue Pearl crocuses do remind me of where I used to live. Either way, these are all cold climate flowers so they should be able to hold up in here."

It was strange. I was working, wasn't I? Yet I was over at someone's house, having what felt like a heart-to-heart. Things just happened so naturally with Gray, it was hard to keep track of where things were going exactly. As much as I didn't want to, I had to book it before things got too personal.

"It's getting kind of late, so I should get going. Here's my business card if you come across any issues, and I'll write my direct line on the back as well." I scribbled my cellphone number on the back and handed it to him.

"I don't think I'll need it, but thank you." He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but when he didn't, I turned to go.

"Wait!" He sounded panicked, but when I turned to him, his face was calm. "Do you think I could meet with you in a week? Next Sunday?"

"Sure, but you know you can give me a ring if there's anything you don't like about the greenhouse, and I'll come back. It's not a fake number," I laughed.

"It's not about that," he said seriously. Earnestly. I could hear myself swallow.

"So, what is it about?"

"Let's just keep things cool. It'll be fun. I'll see you in a week, Lucy." He began to usher me to a shiny black car parked on the curb, which wasn't even my car, but I had no problem letting him think it was.

"Fun?"

"Yeah. I'll text you the details, so if you don't show up, I'll have to suppose this really was a fake number and besmirch your honor."

"English, please."

"Drive home safe," he grinned, and disappeared as a silhouette back up the driveway. I stood there dumbfounded. So dumbfounded, in fact, that I actually tried to open the car door, and the alarm went off. Startled, I dazedly headed for the subway home.

 _Wait, so is this a date?!_


	4. Chapter 4

**I must say this: there is a really long build-up to the date that I promised last chapter, but the GrayLu is there! I promise! It just happens… later in the chapter. Don't kill me.**

* * *

" _Wait!" He sounded panicked, but when I turned to him, his face was calm. "Do you think I could meet with you in a week? Next Sunday?"_

…

 _Wait, so is this a date?!_

* * *

Cana called in sick for 4 days. Whether she was actually sick or not, I didn't know, because when she came in on Friday, all she really looked was shitfaced drunk.

"Were you actually sick these past few days?" I asked, eyeing her flushed cheeks skeptically.

"Yes!" she protested feebly. "Sort of."

I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed.

"I broke up with my boyfriend over the weekend. So I figured I'd give myself, like, two days to get over it. But then I guess I went a little overboard with drinking to forget because next thing I knew I was dying with strep throat or the flu or something. So I've been sick since Tuesday, but I absolutely had to come in today, dead or alive, because I needed to find out what happened between you and Fullbuster before the weekend arrived." She finished off her explanation with a hacking wet cough, and I rolled my chair a few inches farther from her.

"Sorry about the breakup, Cana. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, fuck him. What I'm curious about is you, Miss Heartfilia. What happened between you and Jacket Man?"

 _Oh my God_. I'd left so abruptly last Saturday I'd forgotten to return Gray's jacket to him.

Cana observed me shrewdly. "You didn't give it back, did you?" she said. "Okay, now I need to know why. Spill."

I recounted the events of last Saturday, which Cana let me do so completely uninterrupted. When I finished, she didn't even pull a sarcastic joke like she usually did. Instead, she tapped her chin thoughtfully and said, "I thought you didn't mix these things up. Dating life. Work life."

"I don't. Last week was strictly work."

"And this week?"

As though to answer her question, a delivery man walked in just then and placed a large vase of forget-me-nots, hydrangeas, and periwinkles on the reception counter. I signed his clipboard, then asked, "Who should I deliver these to?"

"Uh… Lucy Heartfilia."

I flinched, and the vase slipped a few inches from my fingers before I quickly stilled it. I kind of already had an idea when he brought in a gigantic bouquet of _blue_ flowers, but hearing my name said aloud still surprised me nonetheless.

"Who sent them?" Cana squealed.

"Um, he didn't want the last name included. Just 'Gray.' Mr. Gray," the guy said. Then, with a sly smirk, "Looks like he sent you fifty shades of… blue."

I rolled my eyes at the lame joke, but Cana giggled. She leaned over the counter, giving him a nice view down her shirt. "You got any other deliveries here?" she drawled, eyes flicking down to his name tag, "...Bacchus?"

"I believe I have one at The Drunk Falcon tomorrow night at 10 p.m. My package, for one…" he glanced at her name plate, "Cana Alberona."

"I'll see you at the club," Cana winked, and Bacchus left. She sat back and sighed happily.

"What was that about mixing things up?" I asked sweetly.

"That question still applies to you. I mean, look at these flowers! Are they the cold climate ones you burned his bank account for? He's probably trying to show you that they and his savings are still alive and well. Though I'm surprised he didn't send you rainbow sakuras after you told him they were your favorites."

"No… these aren't the new ones. I'm pretty sure these are the old ones I moved outside. His mother's flowers." _Looks like they finally bloomed_. _All they needed was some warmth._ I smiled happily.

"Lucy! What's with that dopey smile on your face?!" Cana hissed, whacking me across the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Gray basically just said you remind him of his mother. His _mother_. Mavis almighty, you've been mother-zoned!"

"Wait, there's a card sticking out." I picked it out from the blossoms, a small square of cream-colored cardstock. There were only a few words on it, written in thin, angular print.

 _One of a Kind_

A silly grin spread across my face. Hadn't he said his mother was "one-of-a-kind?" Maybe it wasn't so bad being like Gray's mom.

God, I was such a romantic sap.

I flipped the card over. "Wait, there's more." There was an address written in the same spiky handwriting, and a sentence under it.

 _10:00 a.m. Don't look it up. It's a surprise_.

"This Gray guy is like a freaking prince," said Cana after reading over my shoulder. "He sends you a bouquet and card instead of shooting you a text like he said he would. Damn, you're living the stuff of dreams."

"Will you go clothes shopping with me tomorrow?" I asked. "I'm sort of confused on how I should dress for this maybe-date."

"I can't. I'm still not feeling too great."

"You mean you've got a date to get ready for yourself."

"Exactly. Take Laxus with you. He's a guy. He can give you a guy's opinion. Oh, and the address Gray wants to take you to? I looked it up just now." She waved her phone around. "Good luck in that place. I pray you survive."

* * *

"You're an idiot for agreeing to go with him," said Laxus when I returned home with an enormous vase of blue flowers. "And I'm an idiot for agreeing to go with _you._ "

"So you'll come with me tomorrow then?!" I gasped excitedly.

"Only because you're promising free lunch. And you can bet I'm going to hold you to that and order the entire menu."

"Order away."

"But Lucy," Laxus said, his face becoming serious- well, more serious than it usually is, "watch out for guys like Gray. They've got all the money in the world, and can play you any way they want. Be careful not to get hurt."

That was the most I'd ever heard him say all at once. I was touched.

"Yeah, yeah. Now can you get off the couch and help me cook?"

"Sorry sweetheart, that was a one-time gig. You're the woman in this household."

"And you're a misogynistic chauvinist."

"Tch. 'I'm Lucy and my hobbies include reading dictionaries and hating men.'"

"You pig!" _Hang on a second_. "That's the first time you've teased me."

"You're saying that's the first time I've fucked around with you? Well… how can you blame me? You hate men."

"Laxus!"

He laughed, a rare but pleasant sound, and I smiled.

* * *

Unfortunately, Laxus was not nearly as entertaining come Saturday.

Everything was going fine when we entered the store. I tried on a lot of different clothes, from pants to jackets to suits to dresses. Laxus was unsurprisingly sparse in his commentary, mostly staring out the window at the eatery across the street. Maybe Cana was wrong. Maybe getting Laxus' opinion wasn't the best idea because he rarely ever even had one.

I was on my way back to the dressing room after gaining another mediocre reaction from Laxus when an associate pulled me over. He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're not getting much of a reaction from your boyfriend, are you? Don't worry; men are just like that."

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend."

"Shame. I had just the thing that could make a guy's heart race."

"I'm listening." _Wait a second. You're talking about Gray here, Lucy. Not Laxus. Gray._

"It's a dress I found in the back. It's got no tags or brand or price, and we're supposed to throw those out, but it's so pretty, I just couldn't. It'd look smoking on you," he said, giving me a once-over.

"You had me at 'no price.' Bring it on."

He scurried off and returned a few minutes later with a balled up wad of red fabric. "Did I mention no hanger either?" he chuckled. "It'll look better once it's on you, I promise."

It took a few minutes for me to find the correct holes for all my limbs, but once I got my head and arms through, the dress settled on me softly, the hem sitting just above my knees, and the folds falling into place naturally. It felt wonderfully luxurious, the blood red color lending my pale skin a pretty glow. The neckline, though, plunged down almost to my belly button and exposed the middle third of my torso.

The dress screamed "sexy," which wasn't out of my comfort zone, but how was I supposed to know if this was suitable for wherever Gray was going to take me? I walked out to look for Laxus to get an opinion, and conveniently bumped into him.

"You done yet?" he grunted.

"I don't know. Am I?" I did a little spin for him, and watched his eyes widen, and his cheeks… go pink?

"Oh my God, are you blushing?" I crowed.

"Yeah. But you shouldn't buy the dress," he mumbled and turned his head away.

"But you just admitted I made you blush. That's counterintuitive."

"Just trust me. It don't send the right message, and it don't look clean."

"Are you implying that I look like a _slut?_ "

"I'm trying to say you look beautiful!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's hard to explain. You'll just have to trust me."

"You're being ridiculous!"

"I don't care. You can't wear that tomorrow."

"You're not my dad, and you're not my boyfriend. So excuse you, I can wear whatever I want!"

"Then buy the fucking dress!" he roared, and I winced because he usually didn't raise his voice. "This whole thing is fucking stupid. I'm out."

He stomped out of the store, leaving a crowd of staring people in his wake.

"What the hell's your problem?!" I shouted after him, but he was already gone.

A few moments later, the store associate from before sidled up to me. "And the verdict is?"

"I'm buying it," I snapped.

"We technically can't sell it to you," he said, "because the manager says we can't sell uncatalogued items. But, if you bought something else, I could maybe throw in a 'freebee'?" He winked.

I grabbed something off a shelf and made the purchase.

* * *

I didn't go back to the apartment until late that night because I didn't want to see Laxus. When I finally returned long after dark, the lights were off in the apartment. _Looks like Laxus had the same idea as me and spent the night somewhere else_. I went up to my room and carefully folded and placed Gray's jacket into a bag. I was definitely going to return it tomorrow.

The next day, Cana dropped by my apartment to drive me to the location. She was very much into the whole secretive nature of the place, and didn't want me putting it into the Google and accidentally finding out what it was.

"Have fun!" she called, as I got out of her car and found myself downtown, in front of a large stone building with a grand set of stairs leading up to its entrance. Across the top of the Pantheon-like structure was a banner that said "New Reedus!"

"Oh. My. God," I breathed. "This can't be. Magnolia's contemporary art museum? _And Gray got us tickets inside?_ " I took a few steps up the stone stairs when my heel caught between a crack and I epically face planted.

"Ow…" _Way to make a grand entrance, Lucy_. My right cheek, which I had fallen on, was throbbing. Had Gray seen that? He seemed like the sort of guy that would arrive early, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Are you alright, beautiful lady?" someone asked. It was a man in a suit, and although he was wearing sunglasses, I was pretty sure he was staring at my chest.

"F-Fine."

"Need a ticket inside the art museum? The ticket collector is a woman, so I think I could get you in."

"I don't like playboys."

"But I'm not a playboy. I'm Loke."

"A low-key playboy is still a playboy in my book."

He chuckled. "Not 'low-key.' I meant my name is _Loke_. God, you're cute. Are you sure you wouldn't like to wait for whomever inside the museum at least? I promise I'll behave."

I checked my phone. It was 10:15, and Gray still wasn't here, and it was hot. Gray had my number. He could call me when he got here.

"Sure, why not?"

The inside was yellowed stone like the exterior. Massive paintings covered the walls and the hall was divided in half with glass display cases featuring sculptures and other types of art. The air conditioning inside hit me like a wall and I sighed happily. As soon as we began strolling around, though, Loke was pulled away by some angry woman.

"Sorry, but it looks like I have something to take care of!" he apologized as the woman pulled him away by his tie.

"You're right you better take care of me! Who the heck's this chick? You said I was your girlfriend!" she shouted. The two disappeared around a corner.

And that was why I disliked playboys: drama was not sold separately. _Well, I might as well take a look around until Gray arrives_. I had made rounds around the entire museum twice when I finally got a call from an unknown number at 10:45.

"Hello?" I huffed into the receiver.

"Lucy…? Where are you?" Gray's voice sounded hesitant and guilty, and I wanted to slap myself because for a moment the word _adorable_ actually flitted across my mind.

"That's a good question coming from someone who's over forty-five minutes late."

"I'm so sorry, Lucy. I had an unplanned business meeting this morning and it dragged on longer than I thought it would."

"I thought you didn't work on Sundays?"

"If it was my choice, I wouldn't work on Sundays either. But work waits for no one."

"Well, neither does Lucy. I went home when you didn't show."

There was a disappointed silence on the other end and I stifled a laugh. "I'm kidding! I'm inside the museum."

He sighed, which came out more like a relieved laugh. "I have your ticket, so how did you get in?" The background noise dropped out, so he probably just entered the museum.

"Um…" _A playboy helped me?_ "...my feminine charms."

"That good, huh? Now I'm curious to see. Where are you?"

I ignored his question. He could come find me. "You know, you could have just texted me the location to the museum like a normal person."

He laughed, the breathy sound sending chills down my neck. "I was afraid that if I texted you, you'd have my number. And then you might text me back telling me you couldn't make it. Sorry for being selfish."

"You don't sound sorry at all. I'm moving somewhere else again. Good luck finding me." I rounded another corner and walked down that hall.

"Lucy! Quit making things so difficult for me!" But he was laughing. "I'm really happy that you're still here."

I stopped walking. _Had I heard that correctly?_

"Anyway, can I get a hint? I've made a round of the museum already and I still haven't found you."

"Why don't you make another round? It took that many times for you to call me."

"Ouch." _Okay, he didn't deserve that one._

I glanced up at where I was: in front of a very surreal painting, with lots of bright colors, eyes, money, and couples. It was titled _Gatsby Reinvented._

"You know, Gray, when I first saw you, you reminded me of Jay Gatsby."

"Jay Gatsby…" It sounded like he'd just entered a different room again. "...like the guy from _The Great Gatsby,_ right? You like books or something?"

"I love reading books. Anyway, you know the story, right?"

"Millionaire guy chasing the love of his life. I see the similarity."

I almost dropped the phone. "A-Anyway, despite being handsome and wealthy, he doesn't get the girl in the end. And he keeps wishing he could turn back time."

"...You're still mad at me for making you wait, aren't you?"

"No, I'm just saying love is a matter of timing."

"Then am I too late?"

His voice was suddenly beside me. "Found you," he grinned. Gray was sporting his usual suit and artfully tousled hair, and I wondered whether this was actually a date at all because of how normally he was dressed. His eyes dipped down briefly to what I was wearing, and I saw a slight blush creep across his cheeks.

I really hoped this was a date because what I was wearing and his reaction to it would be so inappropriate otherwise.

"You look incr…" he started to compliment me, when his hand suddenly reached out and I felt his cool fingertips touch my cheek. My breath hitched.

"...injured?!"

"What?" My heart was hammering so quickly, it must have messed with my hearing.

"Y-Your cheek. It's cut, and it's bleeding." His fingers grazed the skin there, and the sudden pain brought me back. _The stairs_.

I pushed his hand aside, taking a shaky breath to calm my pounding heart. "Don't do something so misleading. It's fine. I tripped on the stairs when I got here and fell. Honestly, I kind of forgot it was there. What you did just now freaked me out a lot more."

"Really?" He looked both shocked and pleased. "Why?"

"I… can't answer your question until you answer mine."

"Name it."

I took a readying breath. "Who are you spending today with? Is it the receptionist you called on a whim to remodel your greenhouse? Or is it the woman that- well, I guess all you really know about me right now is that I love reading, but you get the idea. You've been very sweet whether at work or on this… date. But I have to keep those two people separate."

He pondered the question for a moment. "I know more about you than just the fact that you love reading. But it's both, I think."

"Then sorry, but this probably isn't going to work out."

"But why not? It's natural for the two to overlap sometimes."

It was time to set things straight. And it was going to suck, because Gray was a really nice guy.

"Look, you've been such a gentleman in the short time that I've known you. And honestly, you make my heart race a million miles a minute sometimes, and I like you. But overlapping the business and personal life just doesn't work out in my experience. My dad brought his work into my family all the time, and it really messed up our relationships. The whole thing exploded to pieces. Mother, gone. Father, gone too, but it a different sense. It's a bad idea."

"But this is different. I'm not your family. I'm just some guy you met at work. You don't owe me anything, and if I'm not mistaken, you're not expecting anything either. You said that you like me, and that I make your heart race. Isn't that enough reason to at least give me a chance?"

I looked at Gray, who was gazing at me with a determined and hopeful look in his eyes. Jay Gatsby, standing before me. Daisy had given it a chance and, well, we all knew how _The Great Gatsby_ ended.

But I wasn't Daisy. I didn't have some husband on the side that made what I was doing wrong. I blew out a breath.

"You've got until the end of today to convince me."

Gray was giving me a confident smirk. "You got it."

"So what are we going to do now? We kind of already toured the museum, albeit we did that on our own while looking for each other."

"What are we going to do?" he grinned. "We're going to go whale-watching."

* * *

 **Now answer me quick: did you remember that Lucy was supposed to return Gray's jacket? Probably not, huh. She forgets, you forget, I forget to put it in the chapter, and Lucy should just hang onto it forever, ne?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for reviewing, favoriting, and following, everyone! Whenever I see one of those little notifications from this website, my day gets infinitely better. Highlight of my day, truly.**

* * *

" _So what are we going to do now? We kind of already toured the museum, albeit we did that on our own while looking for each other."_

" _What are we going to do?" he grinned. "We're going to go whale-watching."_

* * *

"So when you said whale-watching, I was kind of expecting tickets, probably onto a passenger ship," I said.

"Yes?" Gray nodded for me to continue.

"This is not a passenger ship. This is a yacht."

"It's really just a small boat when you get down to it. But yes, you are correct," he said, turning off his car engine and sitting back to look at me.

" _Your_ yacht?" I asked, my voice going unnaturally high.

Gray simply let out an amused laugh and stepped out of the car, and I had no choice but to follow.

 _Gray might as well have said, "Yes, I pick up dog shit with my money."_

The yacht didn't look like it received much use, its walls still a stark white and the wooden planks polished and even in color, free of water damage. There were plenty of wooden lounging chairs set out on the deck, and a small pool peeked out from around a corner.

At the threshold between the boarding plank and the actual boat was a woman, curvaceous and confident, arms crossed and feet planted apart, her fiery red hair flapping in the breeze. Gray quickly laced his hands behind his back as we approached her.

Gray's voice narrated the image before me, "I'd like to introduce you to our captain for the day."

A small smile graced the woman's lips and she extended an arm. "I'm Erza," she said, shaking my hand. She had a surprisingly powerful grip, and I felt my bones creak as she pumped my arm. "And you are?"

"Lu-OW!-cy," I stammered, testing my hand for broken bones after she released it from her calloused fingers.

"Nice to meet you Lousy," she said.

I opened my mouth to correct her, but snapped it shut when Gray sent me a panicked _Don't fix it or else you'll have to shake her hand again_ look. In turn, I sent him a _Thanks for saving yourself_ glare, directed at his hands hidden behind his back.

"So you're really the captain?" I turned my eyes back to Erza and gave her attire a second look. The reason why I asked was because her sailor uniform… Let's just say it was more the type you saw on schoolgirls than on ship captains.

"You can be anything, as long as you have fighting spirit!" she declared passionately. I, on the other hand, took a safe step back onto the boarding plank at her sketchy non-answer.

"Wait a second, does that mean you're _not_ a real-"

"Thanks Erza! We're counting on you for a safe journey. Let's go this way, Lucy," Gray quickly cut in, finally producing his hands from their hiding spot to push me onto the deck.

As soon as we were out of earshot, I whirled around and furiously hissed, "What the hell, Gray? You're telling me she's not licensed to sail this thing? What if we die? What if I die? I can't swim!"

Gray faced my fury with an apologetic but firm demeanor. "Look, you don't get between Erza and what she wants. And it just so happened that today she wanted to be ship captain- Lucy, what the heck are you doing?"

I was already halfway through inflating a lifeboat when Gray stopped me. "Don't worry about Erza, okay? She's got fighting spirit, like she said. And when she's passionate about something, she's really good at it."

I reluctantly let the air fizzle out of the boat.

"And if worse comes to worse, she can jump in the water and cover as one of the motors."

I didn't even bother commenting on the last part.

Looking out, the sea was like a cut of denim, textured by small rippling waves. We chose a spot near the middle of the boat and wait staff appeared instantly, bringing out a small table to set down hors d'oeuvres such as shrimp cocktails and salmon crostinis.

Gray and I made small talk about what sort of whales we could expect to see in the area, about the history of the yacht we were sailing on, about Lyon, about his greenhouse. I didn't even notice when the boat had left the dock and before long the we were surrounded by water on every side, the blue expanse stretching out as far as the eye could see. Gray and I eventually took to leaning on the silver guard rail and gazing towards the horizon.

"How long have we been out here? I've completely lost track of the time," I asked through closed eyes, enjoying the feeling of the salty breeze combing through my hair.

"A little over two hours," came Gray's answer.

 _Two hours?!_ It felt like thirty minutes.

I opened my eyes and rested my chin on the railing. "Two hours, and we haven't even seen a single whale yet," I pouted. "Plus it's so sunny and bright out. My eyeballs are burning off."

"Yeah, I guess I should have told you beforehand to dress in layers or something. You can borrow my sunglasses, though." He pulled them out of his pocket and offered them to me.

"You should wear them," I waved it away but he caught my wrist and placed them in my palm.

"My eyes are naturally squinty, so I think I'm okay. See?" That forced me to look into his deep-set eyes, which were turned down at the corners. I noticed that his normally dark irises had turned a stormy gray in the direct sunlight.

"You have kind eyes, Gray. Gentle."

Gray dropped my wrist like he'd touched fire, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning away so his hair hid his face. "It's probably because I've been looking at you. Anyway, just put them on, okay?"

"These are men's sunglasses. I'll look ridiculous," I argued.

"You could never look ridiculous."

Before I could respond, Gray's cell phone rang. I raised my eyebrow in silent question as he checked the caller ID.

"It's my assistant. Might be important. Just give me a second," he said. I set down the sunglasses on a table and started to walk away but he placed his hand, always slightly cool to the touch I was noticing, on my shoulder. "It'll just be a minute. You don't have to go."

"It feels weird for me to stay here. Take the call." But he already had, and as I walked off, I spared one glance back. He looked hurt and mouthed something to me that vaguely looked like _give me a chance_.

I found myself in the "captain's" cabin, but the woman herself was nowhere in sight.

"If you've come for cake, the staff can get you some. However, this strawberry one is mine."

I swung to the left and found Erza sitting behind an entire candlelight dinner setup, the full nine yards with a gingham tablecloth, two lit candles, and two sets of utensils. But the only meal on the table was a thick slice of cake.

"Erza! No, I'm not here for cake. Gray's busy so I thought I'd explore."

"That's good to hear. The first part, I mean. But how tactless of Gray to leave his date alone."

"I was the one that left him." Great, now it sounded like we were dating. "He's taking a call for work and I didn't want to get involved."

"Your precautionary measures have fighting spirit. I respect it."

The room fell silent for a bit as Erza ate her cake and I studied the seamless view out the boat's large windshield.

"The fish aren't really biting today," I commented. "We haven't been able to see anything yet."

"We're looking for whales, Lousy, so of course you won't see many fish," she said seriously. I was going to tell her it was an idiom, but my aching hand shut me up.

"It's just that this is my first time going out with Gray-" _Ugh, why does it always sound like we're dating?_ "-and I don't want him to feel bad that we haven't seen any whales yet."

"I'm sure you're lovely company," she said, but she seemed to be talking to her cake.

But then she glanced up and said, "Besides, people don't go whale watching to look at the whales, but at each other. Talking and bonding as they search for themselves reflected in one another. That is the power of friendship. That's what makes people strong."

I didn't quite know why Erza was giving me a friendship speech. But it sort of made sense and made her seem like an actual captain for a minute, so I nodded along. Just then, a waiter burst into the room, and Erza shot him an evil look.

"Insolent fool! You're interrupting my friendship speech," boomed Erza.

"My apologies, Erza. But a whale just surfaced on the starboard side!"

"Excellent. You and Lousy may excuse yourselves and go watch. I myself have… unfinished business." She prodded the cake with her fork.

The waiter scratched at his shocking blue hair and shifted on his feet. "Do you think you could take us in closer? It's far away and kind of hard to see."

"But… but..." I watched her jut out her lip childishly while gazing longingly at the half-eaten slice in front of her.

"I'm sure the wait staff would really like to see it too and would bake you a whole cake in appreciation. Please… _Captain_ Erza?"

And just like a sleeper agent triggered by those magic words, Erza threw off her clothes to reveal a full-blown naval uniform, pulling out a navy cap from nowhere. _Holy crap, this waiter has mastered mind control!_

"Lousy, man the deck! Jellal, give slack to the sails! We're going to catch that whale!" she announced enthusiastically. Then she gave the steering wheel a dramatic spin and we all lurched to the left.

This whole thing was getting crazy, _Erza_ was crazy, I was going to die, and somebody needed to say something normal. "Um, Erza, you know we're not on a pirate-"

"Aye, aye, Captain," said the waiter named Jellal, and pulled me out of the cabin with him.

Jellal seemed like a pretty normal guy. I mean, he tattooed his face, but there were weirder things.

So what did Erza have on him that made him her minion like this?

Love.

He stopped dragging me when we reached the top of the wooden stairs and simply stood there, looking away, and refusing to meet the stink eye I was giving him.

"Erza. Is. CRAZY!" I shouted, flailing my arms around. I was so exasperated I felt like I could bend the boat in half. As though on cue, the lights in the hall flickered as the ship swerved again. I almost fell down the stairs but Jellal pulled me back.

"Maybe. But she's happy, and that's what matters to me," he said.

"Do you actually want to see the whales?" I asked, referring to the disinterested way he was looking out at the ocean. His expression become one of boyish guilt.

"Not really. But I know that she would want to if the cake wasn't there distracting her, so I gave her a push in the right direction. She's only captain for one day after all. I want her to see the whales so she doesn't look back on today with regret."

I felt a sympathy tear on the verge of leaking out and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"She'll come around."

He suddenly looked embarrassed on top of his guilt. "It-It's not like I'm expecting her to return my feelings, Lousy."

I laughed when Jellal said it. "It's Lucy."

He cracked a smile. "I figured as much. For the longest time she called me 'JellOW.'" I watched him wiggle his fingers in memory. "Erza's got quite the handshake, huh?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Look, I should be getting back. Thanks for your help, Jellal. I can't wait to see the whale!"

The problem was, Gray wasn't where I'd left him. I searched the entire deck to no avail, and he'd left his phone on his lounging chair as though to say "I told you it would only be a minute. You should have waited." Finally I got it out of one of the staff that he was below deck on the loading dock. She gave a list of lefts and rights that I obviously remembered and followed perfectly.

...We all know how I really got there. It's a secret technique I like to call "Floor by Floor: Remastered."

I found him standing on a wide ramp that gently sloped to touch the water's edge.

"I'm not fond of hide-and-seek, if that's the impression you got," I called over to him.

He smirked back at me. "This is payback for the museum."

It was then that I noticed the yacht had stopped moving. "Why'd we stop?"

"The whale is too far away," Gray replied. "We won't be able to see it very long or up close at the speed we're going at. Erza said it will probably have already disappeared by the time we get there. Which is why we have these."

He tapped what appeared to be a small motorboat with the toe of his shoe. "Ever seen a whale this close before?"

A high-pitched scream suddenly cut through the air, and it took a moment for me to register that it was _me_ screaming in delight.

"Oh my God!" I attacked him with a hugging jump, the type that only excited girls know how to do. Mirajane would have gotten it. Cana would have gotten it. But because Gray is clearly not a girl, he kind of just awkwardly stood there smiling. But I was too excited to care, and squeezed him tighter.

"Easy, Killer. You're gonna break my ribs," he laughed, but made no move of escaping my embrace. "You know how to ride?"

"Not all of us own personal motorboats and yachts, so no," I said, releasing him at last. Then I jabbed a finger at him like the Ace Attorney himself and said, "But like hell I'm passing up this experience. So teach me."

He motioned to the motorboat. "Climb on."

I kicked off my heels, straddled the seat, grabbed the handlebars, and looked at Gray expectantly. He stared for a few moments before an amused smile lit up his face. "Well at least I don't need to teach you how to sit properly."

I frowned. "How else are you supposed to sit?"

"Women sometimes like to sit with both legs to one side, like a princess on a horse. Decency over safety, I suppose," he said, eyes zeroing in on the hem of my dress, which was quickly riding up my thighs.

Normally I would have screamed "PERVERT!" and Lucy-kicked him out into the water, but that would mean I'd have to jump in and save him, and I couldn't swim so we'd both drown. So instead I reluctantly turned my eyes back to the front. "No thanks. I'm not dying today."

"I already knew this, but you're smart. Good choice," he said. He walked closer and placed a foot on one side of the motorboat. In one smooth motion, he swung himself over so he was seated behind me, his chest pressed to my back. Then he covered my hands with his and bent the handlebars left and right, like we were steering a bicycle.

"Steering should be pretty self-explanatory. Just like this." His voice was right next to my ear, the puff of his breath causing the hairs to rise on the back of my neck. _He's so close!_ If I just turned my head a bit, I could... turn this into a really cliche moment.

Gray's voice was steady, and I felt a little ashamed that I was the only one being hyper-aware.

"Okay," I heard myself say.

"The engine is started by pulling this cord, just like starting a lawn mower. It's located back here." I turned around, resting my forearm on him.

I was shocked. Not by the cord; that looked exactly like I'd expected: a plastic handle attached to a retractable cable. It was Gray, whose cheeks were flushed, and his breathing was shallow beneath the pressure of my arm.

 _So maybe I'm not overthinking things_.

That, or my arm weighed a shit ton, and Gray was red in the face because I was stopping his oxygen supply.

I faced forward again, feeling a little better. "Got it." I felt him flex from behind me, and the engine roared to life.

"Last thing is stopping and going. There's a stick shift on your right. Drive, neutral, and reverse." I glanced to the right. "Put it into reverse to brake. But when you do that I recommend going neutral for a bit first, then reverse to avoid being thrown from the boat. It's a straight shot to the whale. Any questions?"

"You go out here often?" I asked.

"Once in a while," said Gray, "but I am at work six days a week, after all."

"What _do_ you do at work that requires so much commitment?"

"Well, it's a lot of paperwork, that's a given. And then there's dealing with the unending stream of problems that my assistants report to me; someone's always having one issue or another. Business deals, promoting your product, inspecting the manufacturing… it's a lot of shit."

I winced. "Sorry for bringing it up on your day off. Let's talk about something else."

"You're doing it again," he sighed, unmounting the boat to stand beside me. "I thought you said you'd give me a chance."

"What- What do you mean?"

"We've talked about a lot of things today. _The Great Gatsby_ , the whales, my brother. And I love talking to you. You're a brilliant conversationalist, probably because you're a receptionist. But every time the subject of work comes up, you shut it down. Why can't you talk about work with that same brilliance and- and _interest_?"

"It's not like I don't care about work," I said, feeling slightly offended.

"But?"

"But I already told you about the situation with my father."

"And I said that I wasn't your family, that this doesn't have to be as complicated as you're making it seem. I'm the sort of guy that really likes his work, and I'm comfortable with talking about it at any time. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you hate your job or something?"

He hit the nail on the head and I didn't even realize the nail had been there at all.

I didn't like kissing up to Freed. I didn't like _Freed_ , or his antennae hair, or his calmly overbearing personality, or his stupid unpersonalized desk that had so much wasted Pinterest potential.

I didn't like this job that wasn't going anywhere, that had little chance of promotion, that made people like Gray look down on me like my forehead was forever branded with my Job. Until this point, I felt a certain dignity in the hard work I put into a mediocre job, but now I realized that might have been the dignity of the poor. I answered phone calls, filed papers, served coffee, checked people in.

I was Lady Hardliner, and I hated it.

But to tell all of this to Gray? Telling someone you hated your job just wasn't first date material.

"Of course I don't hate my job," I lied.

"Then what's the problem?" Gray questioned. Then he suddenly looked saddened, his eyebrows knitting together. "Or did you change your mind? Do you just not like me? Because we don't have to go around in circles like this if you don't."

"No! I-" _I do like you!_

But the words died on my lips, and I saw Gray's features distort with disappointment. What could I say now that wouldn't sound like excuses?

I needed to get out of there. And without thinking, I fisted the stick shift into drive.

The roaring of the engine drowned out whatever Gray was going to say. One moment I was inside the yacht's small dock, and the next, I was skidding across open water, the wind whipping my hair about madly. The feeling was liberating, though seeing only open water on all fronts had me gripping the handlebars tighter.

I glanced back towards the yacht, but Gray had already disappeared inside, and I felt an irrational surge of disappointment, considering I was the one who had fled. Maybe we both needed time to think, especially now that Gray knew how totally spineless I was, fleeing from such an important conversation. Of all the things I could have said, I chose nothing. How much bigger of an idiot could I be?

The blaring sound of the yacht's fog horn suddenly cut through my thoughts. I whipped my head around and squinted against the late afternoon sunlight. There were a lot of people on the deck, probably the staff, jumping up and down and waving their arms around. The yacht had also started moving again. Were they celebrating something? What the heck was going on?

I looked forward again and instantly understood the fog horn and the waving. In front of me, no more than 200 feet away, was the hump of the whale.

I was on a collision course.

* * *

 **Ooh, first cliffhanger.**

 **All of you guys hollering for NaLu: I see you, I see you! Natsu was supposed to make a cameo in this chapter, but didn't quite make it, so he'll be in it next chapter. I promise. Even if it stretches to four thousand words or something. Scout's honor.**

 **I'll make it a goal to update next Sunday/Monday, but it's my birthday this week so we'll see. Have a great day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow. I am an actual piece of shit. I am so so sorry that I said I'd update, and then went missing for like 15 years. For those of you that are still here, I owe you an explanation. The sob story goes something like this: I went to university. I got a job. Some days, I feel like I'm drowning in my own shit. BUT! Today, it's just you and me baby. I made time for you. Let's get down and dirty.**

 **Wow. Okay. Anyway, this is something like the 7** **th** **evolution of this chapter, but it's finally here. Chapter 6. Enjoy. Let me know what you think, and hopefully you didn't forget too much. Sorry!**

* * *

" _I have a dream I want to chase, but I'm afraid. Afraid of failure."_

 _I sighed and closed my journal. This wasn't the time to be writing about my feelings; I had an economics project to work on after all._

 _Just then, three knocks sounded on my door and Lyra fluttered in, small harp in hand and creative glint in her eye._

" _This is it, Lucy," she said without introduction, crossing the room to sit on my bed. "I've figured out the perfect bridge for our song." Without pause, she proceeded to strum several chords into the instrument and sing a whimsical tune in her lulling voice, and after a few repetitions I joined in, harmonizing along easily._

" _It's beautiful," I marveled when the dorm room was once again silent. "How'd it come to you?"_

" _We were studying this new piece while I was in music theory, and it just clicked," she sighed happily. Then her face lit up with a thought. "Want to practice the harmonization for the second verse?"_

 _I bit the inside of my cheek, frowning. "Maybe later? My econ assignment is due tomorrow."_

 _Lyra pouted then, crossing her arms petulantly. "How are we going to have the song ready for the gig if all you work on is econ?"_

 _I gave her a wry smile. "Not all of us are music comp majors. I'd love to sing all day with you, but real life calls."_

 _At that she fell back onto the bed and blew out a long breath. "It could be real life if you'd just switch majors. It's not too late; you're only two years in."_

 _I laughed, "You know my dad would kill me."_

 _As though on cue, my cellphone sounded from the desk, and a glance at the screen had my palms sweating._

" _I gotta take this. It's my dad."_

 _Lyra sighed for perhaps the twentieth time since entering my room, but dutifully excused herself and shut the door with a quiet click._

 _I swiped across the screen. "Hey, Dad."_

" _Hey yourself. How's the project going?"_

" _It's going alright," I said, turning over to my laptop and opening the blank document that had remained unchanged for the past three hours. "I really appreciate you sending me the company's reports and stuff. Really useful primary source."_

" _I'm just really happy your college is doing things like these. It's a great way to get you to start looking into the company you'll be working for in the future."_

" _You don't know that yet, Dad."_

" _Of course I do. I'm the one that added the nepotism clause into company policy." The phone line crackled with his laugh._

" _The fact that you call it the nepotism clause," I groaned quietly._

 _Just then, the door opened without warning and Lyra popped back in. "Sorry Lucy, I forgot my harp in here-"_

 _I widened my eyes in panic and cut a line across my throat with a finger. Lyra instantly slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late._

" _Who was that?" he said suddenly. "Sounded like Lyra."_

" _Uh," I grappled for words._

" _Lucy. Are you still dorming with her?" His voice was tense, my grip on the phone slick. "You told me you switched roommates."_

 _Lyra fidgeted with the door handle, and she knew that we had been caught out. Despite this, she met my eyes a moment later and mouthed "tell him" with an encouraging nod, her brow scrunched with determination._

 _I took a shaky breath. "I actually wanted to talk you about that, Dad. I'm… sort of balancing this singing thing with school."_

" _Singing? You gave that up as a child, and again just recently." I frowned at how it sounded like my own decision. "I'm sure you don't need me to repeat what I said to you last time we had this conversation."_

" _It's just a side project, but it's something I'm really passionate about. I'm getting better with singing and composing every day because Lyra's such a good partner-"_

" _We've discussed this too many times, Lucy. Why can't I get through to you?" He sounded sad and my stomach twisted._

" _I'm not-" I could feel my eyes stinging and my throat constricting, "It's not affecting the rest of my schoolwork though-"_

" _I want you to drop it. Stop walking down a road that doesn't go anywhere."_

* * *

Your own panic. It stifles you. Worse than the water which steals the breath from your lungs, worse than the blood that pounds behind your eyelids. The panic, which stems from a pain deep in your chest, spreads with every contraction of the heart, like a disease of the blood, until you're weak. Weak, because you are at the mercy of your own uncontrollable self.

A thunderous roar cut through the fuzziness. Hope and fear punched through the haze, before iron grip seized my forearm to wrench me above water. I flailed wildly, spluttering and hacking out a few wet coughs before my arms were thrown around someone's shoulders.

It was like watching the world through a slideshow.

The rippling waves threatening to pull me under again.

The speedboat deck.

The sky.

A hand was pushing the seawater and hair from my eyes. I blinked again. My gaze locked on the hand gripping me, slowly trailing to the arm attached to it, to the person it belonged to.

Gray. It was Gray, looking down at me with a mixture of desperation and relief swirling in his eyes. Vaguely I could feel the rough fabric of his suit pressing against my cheek. He turned away then, and I felt a surge of disappointment. _Why won't you look at me?_ I watched him mouth something, could feel the vibrations of his voice, and it was then that I noticed Jellal driving the speedboat that the two of them – now the three of us – were on.

I laid there gasping several wonderful breaths, blinking wildly against the fuzziness creeping at the edge of my vision, and there were hands on my face once again, smoothing across my brow and wet cheeks. However, my consciousness seemed intent on fading out as my hearing faded in, but right before slipping into blissful sleep I could hear voices.

"... she's safe …"

"… have happened with Juvia." Laughter. "Your chance to be hero for a day, huh?"

"Shut up, Jellal."

* * *

"One dinner, Lisanna, one dinner." Natsu's hand was on her wrist, gently pulling her down the lobby steps. His other was fishing around his trouser pocket.

"You can't keep doing this," she said tiredly, but let herself be pulled along nonetheless. "It's not good for either of us."

"One more dinner," he repeated around the cigarette between his lips as he pulled the lighter from his pocket, "Then you can decide what you want for good."

"I already know what I want," she cut in, "and it's not this."

Natsu's expression remained even as they approached the valet driver, but his trembling fingers as he lifted the flame betrayed him.

"Please." His voice was shaking. "I can't make it in this world without you."

* * *

I opened my eyes and immediately slapped a hand over them because _holy shit_ was it bright. How long had I been out for? The blanket pooled at my waist as I sat into a slumping position and tried again, and this time, looking around, I vaguely recognized the captain's quarters, empty and silent aside from a soft snoring. Its source was Gray, slumped over the table Erza had been eating cake at the first time I came there, his head in his arms and his black fringe in his eyes as he slept.

I quietly sipped from the water bottle that was sitting on the table. After several minutes of silence, I slowly registered the damp red dress still clinging to my body, realizing that it was the same day, the same night in fact what with the darkness outside.

"Gray," I broke the silence, getting up and shaking him gently. "Gray, wake up."

He stirred from his slumber, sitting up and blinking dazedly a few times before his gaze fell into mine, and a grin immediately broke across his handsome features.

"Hey," he said softly, his voice rough with sleep. "How do you feel? You've been out for a little while now."

"I've been up a couple of minutes," I yawned. "It's kind of cold." I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and eyed his obviously wet suit and frizzy hair. "You're looking a little worse for wear."

He checked his reflection in the dark windows. "Yeah, it's almost like I jumped into the ocean and saved a drowning person," he frowned, mock-serious, but it quickly dissolved into chuckles between us.

"Thank you for that," I said. "I owe you."

"Well if we're being technical, you also owe Erza and Jellal, for whom this mission wouldn't have been possible without."

I giggled at his choice of words. "Considering I'm alive right now to be owing people favors, I'll take what I can get." We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. Gray looked worn, his eyelids puffy and his damp suit wrinkled and bunched at the creases. I felt a twinge of guilt. "You were probably worried. I-I'm sorry."

"Well I have an attorney to deal with it if you had become a liability, so it's alright." At my no-doubt shocked look, he managed a half-amused snort. "I kid. Mostly, anyway. Of course I was worried! How could you even say that? How could you… have taken off like that?" I thought hard for a response, but Gray didn't wait for an answer before hurriedly adding, "And I'm sure everyone else was as well. Worried, you know."

I let the words sink in before laughing softly, "Is it weird that that makes me happy?"

"That people worry for you?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Not really. Everyone wants to feel like they matter sometimes, and that people care for them."

"That _I_ worried _you_." I glanced up at him shyly but he was judiciously pulling at the creases in his suit sleeve, refusing to meet my eyes, and I knew that it was time to address what I had said – or hadn't said – before speeding off earlier. I took a breath, "About what I said before – it's not because of you personally or, or my job that I'm," I considered my word choice, "cautious." He finally met my gaze with a neutral expression and I quickly pressed on. "I just – I had dreams of being something else when I was younger, you know? But that didn't pan out so this job was kind of second choice." Technically speaking though, it had been first choice.

Just not my first choice.

"What did you want to do?" he asked.

"Singing," I said, and he snorted amusedly. "Anyway, this job isn't the best thing in the world – I don't think anybody goes out in life dreaming of being a receptionist – but it's bearable and it gets me by, which is more than lot of people can say. And because of it, I met you, so it's not so bad, is it?"

He laughed, a deep melodic sound that sent chills down my arms. "No, not bad at all."

Just then, the cabin door swung open and Erza strode in, her face lighting up upon seeing us. She was immediately upon me, gripping my shoulders so tightly I winced. "Lousy, you idiot!" My head swung back and forth as she shook me. "Can you fathom what would have happened if Gray hadn't seen you capsize? If Jellal wasn't there to help? If _any_ other captain that didn't know CPR was commanding this ship?"

I opened my mouth with an apology on my lips, but by then she was already upon Gray. "Gray, good thing you went and got me right away. But you're also an idiot. Because the one time that stripping actually counts, you leave your clothes on." She removed her hands from his soggy shoulder pads and wiped them on her white pants with distaste.

Gray self-consciously tugged his jacket tighter around himself. "Anything else you'd like to comment on, Erza?"

"Yes." She tipped her naval cap then and bent at the waist into a bow. "Gray, Lousy, it has been a pleasure being your captain today. Please find yourselves home safely. The ship has landed." With that, she swept out of the room as breezily as she had entered.

"Home, then?" I asked, standing up. My bare feet made contact with the wood floor and I realized at some point I had lost my shoes.

"Not quite," said Gray, copying the motion. "You said I had until the end of today."

I laughed incredulously. "You're not kidding? You want to keep going after everything that's happened? When we look like _this?_ " I gestured between our respective hair for emphasis. I didn't even want to think about the bird's nest likely sitting atop my head.

Gray shrugged like it couldn't be helped. "We probably won't be admitted into the original restaurant I had planned on, looking like this, but there's another I have in mind nearby that just might."

I was at a loss for words as Gray slipped his fingers through mine and pulled me out of the cabin with him. Outside, the incoming twilight had dyed the sky with splashes of amber and plum, and the strip of stores by the docks had windows winking with light and warmth. An ocean breeze sweeping by had goosebumps rising on my arms. We collected our things off a deck table, and the brown paper bag peeking from my purse reminded me of that day's Very Important Mission.

"What's this?" he asked, as I handed the bag to him.

I quickly shimmied off the bag to reveal Gray's suit jacket, folded into a compact square. "The jacket you lent me that one time," I offered it to him, grinning. "I suppose now is a good a time as any to give it to you. You look like you could use something dry."

He accepted it, frowning slightly as he turned it around in his arms. "Thank you, Lucy. The navy doesn't really match my black slacks, though." He folded the garment carefully over his arm instead of putting it on. "Ready to go?"

I felt a twang of annoyance after all the trouble I had went through, but played it off with, "Sure, as soon as I get a pair of shoes."

Gray smirked then, a look that had me forgetting all about the jacket. "I think our resident captain can help you out there."

One simply does not question where Erza gets clothes. I'd rather not know which girl was walking home barefoot that night, but one pair of high heels later we had exited the yacht and were cruising down the beachside road in Gray's sleek black Audi with the windows down in hopes of drying our clothes. I swear I could feel the water freezing on my lashes, but after being in Gray's house and greenhouse, I wouldn't be surprised his car lacked a heating function.

The drive was relatively short, and Gray frequently glanced over, like he wanted to say something, but as soon as I caught his eye he would go back to watching the road and tapping at the steering wheel.

"Do you always go this far with your dates?" I joked mildly in an attempt to break the weird tension that had settled over the car.

Gray had merely hummed noncommittally, "You'd be the first in a while."

Taking a detour from the main road, we arrived in front of a small restaurant tucked into the side of building, its exterior open and honest, with large windows framed by a pinstripe awning. Showcased by the yellow lighting inside were wooden tables and chairs next to the classical paintings on the walls. On top of the awning was a name in a language I had no idea how to pronounce; Italian, maybe?

"I didn't peg you for the sort of guy to frequent this kind of place," I mused, as we exited the car and headed to the restaurant door.

"I'm a man of many secrets," he smiled, just as the restaurant hostess greeted us with a cheerful wave.

* * *

"So," Natsu said.

"So we're here," Lisanna replied flatly, picking at her salad with her fork, before seemingly changing her mind and sipping from her water instead.

They had arrived at Bice after an incredibly awkward and silent car ride, only further punctuated by the fact that they were now sitting at a table for two and _still not talking_.

"So this is your favorite place!" Natsu exclaimed somewhat forcedly, throwing up an arm for emphasis and managing to backhand a waiter in the face. Grinning sheepishly at the dirty look thrown his way, he turned back to her, "Right?"

"I'm surprised you remember," said Lisanna, leveling him a look, "considering we haven't been back here since you 'made it big.'" The air quotes were obvious enough in her tone.

His enthusiasm darkened a shade. "Don't bring my career into this, Lisanna. This is about you, and me."

She set down her fork slowly, before, eyes flashing, she exploded. "This has _everything_ to do with your career, Natsu! Look at you!" She threw her arms at him for emphasis. "You smoke, you hang out with the wrong crowd, you're out at ungodly hours, you're on all the wrong magazines for all the wrong reasons, and you've got scandals lining up out the door!"

"Then help me!" he insisted, the panic simmering in his tone just barely hidden.

"I've tried!" And her pitch reached an octave Natsu had never heard before. Other customers began murmuring quietly and looking their way. "But you have to want to help yourself, and I don't think that you do."

To this, he said nothing, and an electric tension charged the air between them. Finally, however, his face crumpled. "So you're leaving me then?" He sounded defeated, and she sighed.

"We haven't been together for a long time now."

* * *

"So then Lyon and I had a stripping contest in the snow, and of course I- why are you laughing? This is completely true!"

I was laughing so hard I thought I might choke on my pasta. I swallowed it with some water and motioned for Gray to go on.

He offered a quizzical half-smile before continuing, "So of course I lost, I mean the guy had been living up north for years! But after spending a couple of winters up there I think if we went at it again I would win."

When I had caught my breath, I leaned my cheek against my palm, the smile still lingering on my lips. "Gray Fullbuster, stripping extraordinaire. Who would have known?"

Gray was looking at me so intently I thought I might have something on my face, but then his mouth relaxed into a warm smile. "You have a very beautiful laugh. I haven't heard it much."

I flushed, but it could have been the wine. "And you have a sense of humor. I haven't seen it much either."

He leaned closer, linking his fingers together with a light playing in his eyes. "I can think of a couple ways to change that."

* * *

Natsu was on his third glass of wine – or was it his fourth? – and he was definitely feeling it. At least, he reasoned, he wasn't feeling quite so terrible anymore. The alcohol had made him weightless, floating above the sea of emotions he really wasn't equipped to handle right then. Lisanna was still seated across from him, but whereas at the beginning of dinner it had seemed like she wanted to burn a hole through his head with her stare, now- now her image had hazed out just enough so that the glare wasn't quite so intense anymore.

"What am I supposed to do then?" he asked, and he suddenly felt very sad. "I- I thought you loved me."

Lisanna patted his arm in comfort. "It's okay, Natsu. You'll find someone new, someone who will help you be the best version of yourself. But you have to clean up your act first."

"But it's so hard. It's so hard to find someone new," he said. His eyes traveled lazily across the restaurant interior, sweeping along the string lights and the green vines they were wrapped around, before settling on a couple that looked like they had just survived a hurricane. The girl in particular, something about that piece of blonde hair that stuck up like some sort of satellite device, and just the sheer stupidity of the way her boyfriend looked in general, had him snorting out a laugh, which quickly devolved into a fit of drunken giggles.

"Lisa- Lisanna, you see that girl over there? Her head looks like it's searching for Wi-fi," he laughed, a merry sound that had Lisanna smiling wistfully.

"See? It's not that hard," she said quietly. She motioned for the bill to be brought over. "Now, I'm going to drop you off at your place and then-" she swallowed, "-and then that's it. Okay, Natsu?"

"Okay, Lisanna, okay," he said. It seemed as though he might just be mindlessly repeating her, but then he said, "I won't contact you anymore."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Take care, okay Natsu?"

* * *

We were parked outside the front of my apartment. The quiet hum of the engine could only fill the quiet for so long before Gray, with a quarter turn of the key, pitched the car into silence.

This had undoubtedly been the wildest date I had ever been on, from the museum to the yacht to dinner, but was that the right thing to say? Before the silence became too great, I broke it with, "I had a great time today."

"I'm glad," was his simple reply, but his gaze was mixture of complications I couldn't even begin to decipher.

"Really!" I said, "I feel like you took me on three separate dates instead of just one."

"It's true. Look at us, already on our third date," he joked. After a short pause, he asked, "So… did I convince you?"

"Of what?"

"That this," he gestured over the console at the space between us, "is worth something?"

In a moment of courage, I leaned closer so that we were practically nose to nose, and dropped quick kiss on his lips. They were warm and soft amidst the freezing car interior. "I'll let you know the next time we meet." With that, I popped the car door open, stepped out and closed it just as quickly. I couldn't walk fast enough to the apartment, and even then the stupid door was stuck, and it required a bit of shoving before I stumbled unceremoniously inside and slammed it shut like the hounds of Hell were hot on my tail.

My plans for a hot shower and a comfy bed didn't exactly pan out, because as soon as I had flicked the lock on the door, a bouquet of flowers was shoved into my hands, and I stumbled to catch them.

"L-Laxus?"

He was regarding me in that same domineering position of arms crossed across his chest, looking like he was about to say something remotely nice, but then something registered, and he opted for, "You look like shit."

"Wow," I said, slamming the flowers on a nearby tabletop. "Hello to you too."

"Wait, that's not what I-" he looked physically in pain, and I crossed my arms in expectation. "Those are for you," he finally said, gesturing at the rainbow sakuras on the table. "Because I'm- fuck, I'm sorry, alright? I'm not your fucking boyfriend or whatever, so you can wear what you want."

"So you were out of line," I said.

"Hmph."

"Well, thank you for the apology. Are we good?"

A quick nod, and then he was marching upstairs where, faintly, the sound of a door slamming shut followed.

"Want to hear about my date with Gray?" I called, placing the sakuras in a vase next to the blue ones Gray had gotten me.

"Don't push it!" was Laxus' faint response.

I collapsed onto the nearby couch, and for the first time that day, realized how _tired_ I was. I wanted to go upstairs, take a hot shower, and then curl up and sleep for a million years, but with the throw pulled over my shivering body, I found I had absolutely no energy or will to do so. Tomorrow's Lucy would probably regret everything about this, but today's Lucy was asking her to kindly shut up. So instead, I snuggled further into the couch pillows and, after a sneeze, drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
